Laptop Sleeves Overview

February 27, 2008

While laptops have continued to get smaller, lighter and less expensive, the need to protect them has continued to increase.  No longer are laptops used at home, the office and occasionally airplanes.  Today you will find people using their laptops virtually everywhere:  coffee shops, cafe's and resturants, malls and even car dealership service waiting areas.  This increase in usage and variety of locations has increased the changes of your laptop being damaged and potentially the data that is on it.

To that end, in this overview I will be going over three laptop sleeve alternatives that can help you protect your laptop while still being able to access it easily and with less bulk than a traditional laptop carrying case.  To be sure, most traditional cases will provide you more protection but sleeves are a great way to provide a minimal amount of protection without making it difficult to get to your laptop - something some traditional cases cannot offer.

I will be looking at three different options from three different vendors:  Skooba Design's Skooba Skin, the Proporta Protective Laptop Sleeve and the Vaja Cases i-volution Shell for laptops.  These three products provide a good overview of the various materials that are available as well as a good price range.  All three of these sleeves are outstanding and I have no problem recommending any of them based on needs and budget. 

Skooba Design's Skooba Skin

The first sleeve and least expensive of the three reviewed is the Skooba Skin by Skooba Designs.  The Skooba Skin is unique in that it can be a true sleeve with no handles or you can flip out the handle from inside the sleeve to make it a true tote.  It is a brilliant design that functions well, providing ease of use and comfort while still not being a "guy" sleeve or a "girl" tote.  It can be either!

The Skooba Skin comes in a variety of styles but the one provided to me by Skooba was the Blue Ultrasuede with a matching blue lining on the inside of the bag.  Other styles include a nylon, vinyl, ballistic and corduroy finishes in a variety of colors.  Regardless of the style you choose, the function of the sleeve is the same.  The inside of the case is lined with a smooth nylon fabric which makes getting your laptop into and out of the bag easy, even if it has non-slip pads on the bottom of it.  The look and feel of the Ultrasuede is outstanding and nice to the touch.  I was surprised in my using of the bag how little dirt or scuffing the sleeve took during normal usage.  Normally suede products tend to show dirt and wear more but the material Skooba has chosen holds up quite well.  The case is held closed in either tote or sleeve "mode" by Velcro closures.

Figure 1:  The Skooba Skin by Skooba Designs (Exterior)

Figure 2:  The Skooba Skin by Skooba Designs as a Tote (Exterior)

Figure 3:  The Skooba Skin by Skooba Designs (Interior)

Skooba Designs makes the Skooba Skin in a variety of sizes to hold the various sizes of laptops that are out on the market.  The smallest is the Micro which is designed to hold sub-compact while the 1012 holds 10" to 12" small laptops.  In the middle is the1415 which holds 14" to 15" laptops while the biggest is the 1617 which, you guessed it, holds 16" to 17" laptops.  As a point of reference, I have a Dell Latitude D630 laptop which has a 15" widescreen display and is approximately 1.1" think.  I had no problems getting my laptop into the 1617 but it was snug enough that my laptop wasn't "swimming" inside.  If you are not sure which one you should get for your laptop, Skooba Designs has a product finder available on their site.  All you have to do is enter the dimensions of your laptop and the site will show you all of the sleeves and cases that will fit it.

Figure 4:  Dell Latitude D630 in The Skooba Skin

The price range on the Skooba Skins range from $29.95 to $39.95 (US) depending on the size and style you choose.  All of their products come with a 30 day satisfaction guarantee and a lifetime defects guarantee.  For more information visit the Skooba Design website.

Proporta Protective Laptop Sleeve

Proporta is based in the United Kingdom and has provided cases and accessories for many years in the mobile device industry.  Their recently added Protective Laptop Sleeve is another great addition to their lineup and is one that looks good while doing a good job of protecting your laptop. 

The Proporta offering comes in a faux leather finish that is a black and orange combination.  Unlike the Skooba Designs Skooba Sleeve, the Proporta Sleeve does not have a variety of finishes but that should not discourage you from looking at this sleeve.  The color combination is sharp and contrasting, giving it a sleek, modern look and feel.  Regardless of which size you purchase, the sides of the Protective Laptop Sleeve are made of stretch nylon and elastic which allow it to expand to fit your laptop.  This also has the side benefit of "holding" your laptop while it is in the sleeve, preventing it from sliding around inside it.  The inside of the sleeve is lined in a smooth nylon, much like that of the Skooba Designs sleeve, which allows for easy inserting and removal of your laptop into the sleeve.  The sleeve's single-flap closure is held close by magnets inside the lining of both the body and flap.

Figure 5:  Proporta Protective Laptop Sleeve (External)

Figure 6:  Proporta Protective Laptop Sleeve (Internal)

The Proporta Protective Laptop Sleeve comes in three sizes:  Small to handle laptops with up to 13" displays, Medium for up to 15" and Large for up to 17".  Proporta provided me a 17" which fit my D630 with no problem.

Figure 7:  Dell Latitude D630 in Proporta Protective Laptop Sleeve

Regardless of the size you choose, the Proporta sleeve is $39.95 (US).  It is backed with a 30 satisfaction guarantee and a lifetime warranty against manufacture defects.  For more information visit the Proporta website.

Vaja Case's i-volution Shell

If there is a Bentley of the laptop sleeve world then the Vaja Case i-volution Shell is it without much question.  Vaja Cases, known for their supple leathers and outstanding quality, began offering the i-volution Shell for Apple Macbooks last year and they do not disappoint. 

The i-volution Shell is a hardshell sleeve design which is covered in high quality Argentine leathers that truly have to be experienced to appreciate.  The color options and combinations are almost endless and are offered in both a handle and handle-less version depending on the style you like.  The outside and inside of the case are completely covered in leather while the zipper which closes the cases is wide and heavy duty which is tightly sown into the rim of the case.  If you choose to have a handle version of the case, the handles are sown internally in the case, assuring they will not detach and actually improves the look by not having extra stitching on the outside of the case.

Figure 8:  Vaja Case's i-Volution Shell (External)

Figure 9:  Vaja Case's i-Volution Shell (Internal)

On the inside of the shell, the highlight leather has firm closed-cell padding both on the top and bottom sides of the case to help protect your laptop.  The padding is placed in strategic locations on both sides so as to provide maximum protection while keeping the shell stylish both inside and out.

A look at the Vaja Case website, you will see that the cases are advertised for Apple MacBooks ranging from 13" to 17" but they will hold slim laptop PCs as well.  As you look at the cases on the site, you can get all of the specifications of the shell to verify that your laptop will indeed fit in the sleeve.  It is critical that you be accurate in your measurements so you order the correct case.  Because Vaja essentially makes all of their cases when they are ordered, you are not able to return the shell if you get the wrong size.

Figure 10:  Dell Latitude D630 in the i-Volution Shell

The pricing of the i-Volution Shell ranges from $359 to $450 (US) while a lesser expensive sleeve is available for $170 (US).  The key difference between the shell and the sleeve is the shell is hardshell design instead of the soft shelled sleeve.  For more information check out the Vaja website.

While I've covered three sleeve options for you in this overview, there are countless others out there in the market today.  I selected these three as I've used all of them, know the company's well and do not second guess recommending them for your needs.  As to which one is the best, that is difficult to answer as it depends on your individual needs.

For more information, check out the Skooba Designs, Proporta and Vaja Case websites.